To Run and Hide
by Gazlover12-Canada
Summary: AU: When tragedy strikes his family, Zero Kiryu flees town to avoid becoming a foster kid. Along the way of his journey he meets Kaname Kuran, the leader of a group of runaway children.


**This is just the intro. Regular chapters should be much longer.**

The supermarket was crowded that day. It was the weekend, so many people were restocking their weekly supply of groceries. Among the bustle of people stood two boys, both appearing in their early teens. These boys looked to be browsing the produce section. In reality they were scoping out where all the employees were, where there were any security cameras, and all of the possible quick escape routes.

"Kaname, should I go now?" The slightly shorter boy with bright blonde hair and soft green eyes asked in a hushed whisper. Kaname, the older boy with soft dark hair and careful brown eyes, looked around once more.

"Yes, but be quick about it. Take only what you can carry. We'll both meet back here in five minutes and take off, alright?" He replied.

"Okay!" Takuma said with a smile.

Then, they both took off in separate directions. Kaname went towards the snack area. He made sure nobody was looking before grabbing a box of cereal and stuffing it into a shabby backpack that he'd brought with him. He then moved along to the bread area and grabbed a loaf of whole wheat, stuffing that into the pack as well. Next he went off to find some jam. Hopefully they would have strawberry flavored.

Meanwhile Takuma had gone off in search for his given task: Canned foods and protein bars. He didn't have a bag with him like Kaname, but he did have an oversized coat with large pockets, which was why he was to steal the smaller items for this trip. He found canned potatoes, canned corn, and canned green beans. That filled up most of his pocket room though, so he was only then able to grab three protein bars. He had to stuff the bars into the waistband of his pants.

Finally Takuma knew that the quick five minutes were up, and that he needed to get back to Kaname so they could escape before anyone noticed their wrongdoings. Unfortunately for him, he passed through a book aisle. This caused much hesitation. It had been weeks since he'd last read a new book. Maybe if he was very careful…

He grabbed a good looking mystery novel and tucked it under his arm. But then he saw another book that appeared to be a children's ABC one. Grinning to himself, he grabbed that one too. But as he was about to tuck them inside his coat, a voice stopped him.

"I hope you're planning on paying for those books young man."

It was a woman in her mid thirties. Luckily she didn't appear to be an employee. That meant he had a better chance of getting out of this.

"Of course ma'am. I was just holding them inside my jacket because I have a lot of other stuff to buy too. It's hard to carry so many things."

The lady didn't look too convinced. "Why didn't you just grab a shopping basket?"

Oh crap, Kaname was going to kill him. "You're absolutely right. I'll um...go do that straight away."

As he quickly paced out of the aisle, he could hear the woman flagging down someone who worked there. Yes, Kaname was certainly going to be angry. The other boy was waiting by their meeting spot.

"I think I got caught. There were some books and I-" Takuma didn't need to finish.

"Come on, let's go then."

Together they both ran out of the doors. It was probably obvious now, but the tough part was over now that they had left the store. All they needed to do was run back to their temporary home.

Sure enough, ten minutes later they reached a tall metal fence, each slipping under a hole in the corner. Behind that fence was an abandoned factory. The windows were broken and it looked pretty creepy. The appearance didn't bother either teen though. Kaname helped boost Takuma up through a window before pulling himself up afterwards.

The room they landed in was completely devoid of life, save for old machines and empty boxes. But then…

"It's just me and Takuma, you may come out now." Kaname said softly.

Behind a large box, a boy who appeared taller than both Kaname and Takuma came out. He had orange-brown hair and burnt orange eyes. Behind him was a younger boy with golden colored hair and electric blue eyes. These two were cousins, Akatsuki and Hanabusa.

From under an old wooden table, two more people emerged. They were both little ones, a boy and a girl. The little boy had mahogany hair and light blue eyes. The girl had cerulean colored eyes and light orange hair tied in pigtails. These children were previous foster siblings, Senri and Rima.

Lastly, a young teenage girl came out from behind a broken down machine. Her hair was long and pale brown, and she had eyes that were a slightly darker color than her hair. She was known as Ruka.

All of them were runaways, Kaname and Takuma included.

Kaname was the oldest of them at age fifteen. He was also their leader. Kaname knew how to make sure they were all cared for and fed. He knew how to get food and shelter. He knew how to keep them from being caught. They all adored him.

Takuma was the next oldest, at age fourteen. He was sweet and rather nurturing, but also Kaname's best friend and right hand man. He had known Kaname the longest, and together the two of them made sure that the others stayed safe.

Akatsuki and Ruka were both twelve. Akatsuki was often assumed to be one of the oldest out of the group, but that was only because he was naturally quite tall and strong looking. Ruka looked more her age, although she seemed slightly shorter than the average twelve year old.

Next was Hanabusa. He was eight years old. His age was not to be deceiving though. The kid was quite cheeky and intelligent, and a very good shoplifter as well. Kaname only liked using the smaller kids to steal as a last resort though.

Rima was five years old, the second youngest. Lastly came Senri at age four. Both of the children were quite small, and the others were very protective of them.

All seven of them together were on the thinner and paler side, from lack of nutrition and sunlight. You see, they mostly moved about at night, except for trips to shoplift during some days. They also never stayed in one area for too long.

"Kaname, Kaname! You're back!" Hanabusa was the first one to speak, running over excitedly.

"What did you get?" Ruka asked eagerly.

Kaname smiled, slinging his backpack off his shoulder. "We're going to have plenty to eat tonight. Right Takuma?"

Together, they both pulled out the items they'd managed to get. The others observed with delight.

"Jam!" Rima giggled.

"Potatoes, nice!" Akatsuki smiled.

"We'll have potatoes and corn for dinner, and then tomorrow bread and jam for breakfast." Kaname told them.

"Senri, Rima, I've got something for you!" Takuma spoke up, showing them the ABC book. "This book will teach you your letters. Learning to read is very important in order to stay safe. You'll be able to read signs for directions, labels on food, and even big books."

Both children looked wide eyed at the colorful picture book.

"This will be our last day here. Tomorrow evening we shall leave to a new home." Kaname announced.

Ruka took out their only frying pan (a small shabby little thing) and got to work on warming the potatoes. Kain looked around for things they could use as plates while Hanabusa drew pictures on the cement wall with a chipped rock. Takuma began reading to the two youngest, who both leaned against him and listened intently, sounding out the letters of each page.

Meanwhile, Kaname surveyed around and made mental notes. Now that it was turning winter, they would need warmer clothing, especially for the younger ones. They couldn't afford for someone to fall ill, or else social services would be on them like flies to molasses. Social services also meant _that_ man would find them as well. Yes, they had to keep moving and make sure that they would stay safe.

"Food's done," Ruka announced proudly. None of them were that good at cooking so the four oldest took turns with it. Ruka and Takuma were probably the best out of them, but the food was never quite perfect. Still, whatever was hot and filling was all that they needed. They had to eat with their hands because of lack of silverware, but potatoes were easy to hold. The corn was a little more difficult.

"Don't eat so fast Hanabusa," Kaname reprimanded the younger. "Do you want to choke?"

The eight year old swallowed his mouthful of food. "No Kaname, I'm sorry! I promise I'll eat slower."

"And you need to eat more Senri," Takuma chided lightly. "What's the matter? Don't you like those potatoes?"

Eating together like this almost made their lifestyle normal. Sometimes if Kaname thought really hard, he could pretend that the places they stayed in were actual homes. Like right now for instance. Instead of sitting in a circle on the cold cement floor, they sat in soft velvet chairs with heaping amounts of food set on elegant china plates. But the mind could only do so much. He had to face reality.

He had six others besides himself to look after, and winter was fast approaching. They needed somewhere warmer, where they could stay awhile and be safe. At the same time, he also had to find what he was looking for. Or more like _who_ he was looking for.

Kaname closed his eyes and saw a pair of beautiful brown eyes, belonging to a little girl who was smiling and giggling.

_'I will find you, little sister'._

* * *

Zero Kiryu pulled the oversized coat tighter around him, trying his best to drown out the red and blue flashing lights around him. For some horrible reason, he felt cold and emotionless. Right now he should have been feeling something. Sadness, anger, anything at all. A hand squeezed his shoulder.

"Just hold on a minute kiddo, okay? We'll get you somewhere warm in a bit."

It was Toga Yagari, the best friend of Zero's parents and also his master. Since his parents were away often at work for long periods of time, Yagari would watch Zero and his twin Ichiru, and teach them many things too, like how to read and write, and also how to hunt and shoot.

Oh god...Ichiru.

His twin was gone. His parents were murdered, and his younger twin was missing. And the worst part was that he hadn't been able to do a damn thing about it.

Time seemed to move in a blur for him over the next few hours. A physician looked him over to make sure he was not injured, and then Yagari cleaned the blood (that was not his own) from Zero's face and body. He was then taken to the police station and asked many questions, none of which he answered. Luckily Yagari made them shut up and allow Zero to get some rest. They brought him to a back room with a bed. Unfortunately it was utterly impossible for him to sleep.

He silently crept out of the room in search of Yagari. For some reason he felt like he needed to be in the presence of someone comforting. Before he was able to get far, the sound of voices caught his attention. It seemed that Yagari was in an argument with a cop.

"Social services will need to be contacted. The boy will have to stay in foster care temporarily."

"I don't think so! Zero just lost his entire family. I'm not letting you put the kid with strangers. I'll be his guardian."

"I'm not saying you can't be. But the paperwork and court issues can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. He'll have to stay in the foster program for now."

"Like hell!"

The thirteen year old felt a rush of gratification towards his master, but at the same time he began to finally feel again. And he felt anger. He was the only one who really knew what that horrible woman looked like. Ichiru was his responsibility, and therefore he needed to find him again.

He also refused to allow others to decide his fate. Earlier he'd heard the cops discussing his parent's killer. They had no idea where she would be heading, but they guessed if anything then it would be east.

That settled it then. He would need to get away from here. He would make it his own task to make sure that he got Ichiru back, and that the woman who had taken him away paid dearly for what she'd done. Crying and moping about it wouldn't solve anything. If he was going to do this then he needed to act now.

Getting out of the station was surprisingly easy. He headed back towards home to make one quick stop before starting his journey. He had to close his eyes while walking past the blood stained snow and living room. He went upstairs to his parent's bedroom, opening the chest at the foot of their bed.

Inside was a silver gun, gleaming brightly in the moonlight. He pocketed it, and then got to work packing a small bag with food and some money he'd been saving. The last thing he did before leaving the house was leave a note to his master, explaining his plan and apologizing for not telling him in person.

His next stop was the train station. He bought a ticket for a place he knew was further east; a city called Westerby. His first stop would be there. Once he arrived he could think of what to do next. One step at a time.

Moping and crying while the so called adults handled it would not solve anything. He needed to push all soft emotions away and do what needed to be done. He had to be strong. Zero wiped away a single tear from his cheek, staring up at the moon and wondering how it could be so bright and beautiful when tonight had been so dark and ugly.

**What do you think? Want me to add more?**


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